Bag-fastener.



G. GOERK.

BAG FASTBNEB.

nrmonlon funn :un: 1a, 1911.

1,004,014. Patented Sept. 26, 1911.

.mom/fr.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEV GUSTAV GOEBK, F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 KARL OSWALD, 0F IRVING-TON, NEW JERSEY.

BAG-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 13, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUsTAv GoERK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain Improvements in Bag-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more especially to catches for the ends of a bag frame, or upon the ends of a bag frame near the corners thereof, although it can of course be employed anywhere that it is adapted to be used.

The objects of the invention are to secure such side catches which will always lock automatically when the bag is closed; to at the same time have said catches when unlocked remain in unlocked position until the jaws of the bag are separated; to thus insure against inadvertently leaving the side catches of a bag unfastened, and to prevent loss or theft; to obtain a simple construction, not liable to get out of order ner expensive to manufacture; to avoid materially changing the shape and appearance of side catches now in use, and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate the same parts throu hout the several res, Figure 1 is a side evation of a b-ag rame having my improved catches applied thereto, the bag frame bein closed and one of the side catches in unloc (ed osition; Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitu inal section of one of the catches in locked position; Fi 3 is a similar section of the catch in un ocked position; Fig. 4 is a side view of the shell of the slide, and Fig. 5 is an end View of the same; Fig. 6 is a side view of the attaching portion of the slide, and Fig. 7 is an end view of the same; Fig. 8 is a side view of the base of the female catch member, and Fig. 9 is an end view of the same; Fi 10 is a perspective View of a certain resi ient detent forming part of my invention; Fig. 11 is an underneath view of a certain sliding plate, and Fig. 12 is an edge view of the same; Fig. 13 is a lan of the base; Fig. 14 is a cross-section oi) the catch takenon line A--A of Fig. 3, and showing the bag frame, and Fig. 15 1s a perspective view of the male catch member or tongue.

In said drawings, 1 and 2 indicate the hinged sections of a bag frame of ordinary and well-known construction, both formed of angle iron, and one, as 2, adapted to close Within the other. Said other frame section 1 has at its middle a female fastening member 3 adapted to receive a male member 4 with suitable tongues, upon the frame section 2. Near the opposite ends of the bag frame are my improved catches, each comprising a female catch member 5 upon the frame section 1 adapted to receive and lock with a male member 6 on the other frame section 2, said male member havin a tongue, 7, to enter the side of the female locking member, as is common in catches. Said tongue is flat and horizontally disposed, with a lateral notch 8 in its edge toward the end of the bag frame for lockin purposes. Said tongue also has a shoul er 9 facing toward said notch, to receive a certain detent hereinafter described in connection with the female catch member. This shoulder 9 is shown as formed by stamping or filing a longitudinal groove in the tongue, but obviously it might be made in any other suitable manner.

The female locking member 5 comprises a base adapted to be seated upon the top of the frame section and secured thereto by marginal lugs 11 extending through slots in said frame, as is common. The said base is a hollow box-like member seated at its edges upon the frame section 1, and the top of said base is flat to provide a slideway fora slide 12. Said slide comprises a. hollow box-like portion 13 restin at its edges upon said base, and in said s ell is an attaching portion 14 comprising a piece of sheet-metal doubled into U-shape trans versely, and terminating at its edges Hush with the edges of the slide, except for certain marginal lugs 15 which are adapted to project down throu h slots 16 in the base and bend over to slidably attach said slide to said base. The said slots 16 are long enough for the slide to have a limited longitudinal sliding motion, and against the top of the base 10, inside the same, is a plate 17, which is reduced or recessed, as at 18, so as to allow the marginal lugs 15 of the slide to pass therethrough and be bent over onto said plate. The plate is thus held fixed with respect to the slide 12, and moves with the same. Said sliding plate 17 has a downturned lug 19 at one edge, which lug is adapted to enter edgeu'ise the notch 8 in the male catch member or tongue G when the slide 12 is in normal central position upon the base 10, as shown in Fig. 2. Said tongue G enters through an opening 20 in the side Wall of the base 10, and a coiled spring 21 normally holds the said locking plate in locking position. Said spring 21 is between the end of the base 10 and the adjacent end of the sliding plate 17, and held against escape in any suitable manner, as by a reduced extension or finger 22 on the plate to receive the spring.

A bottom 23 preferably closes the cavity of the hollow body portion 10, and lies flat on the bag frame section 1 in use.

Obviously, a catch constructed as thus far described would have to be positively held unlocked or With its slide 12 in unlocked position, until the male tongue 6 is withdrawn, and Where there are two of these end catches on a bag, as Well as a middle fastener, it is practically impossible for a person to open the bag under ordinary conditions. On the other hand, if the springs 21, 21 be omitted, so that the slides 12, 12 have to be positively pushed into locking position, the user forgets to do this after closing the bag, and the end catches are rendered useless. It is to secure an automatic locking upon merely closing the bag, and also at the same time a catch Whose slide Will remain in unlocked position, when pushed there, until the catch members are separated in opening the bag, that is the object of my invention. T is is accomplished in my invention by providing a detent which sliding of the slide in releasing or opening the catch caused to engage with the tongue 6 to hold the slide retracted until the catch members separate or the male catch member or tongue is Withdrawn. I have shown a detent engaging the shoulder 9 already described, as a simple representative construction, but obviously various other engaging means could be provided. The detent itself could also be variously constructed, but I have shown it consisting of a leaf spring 24 fastened at one end to the slide 12 inside the same and carrying at its free end a spur 25 adapted to engage said shoulder 9. This spur 25 projects through a slot 26 in the sliding plate 17, which supports it laterally, and a longer slot 27 1n the top of the base to permit sliding of the slide and -parts carried thereby.

In operation, the slides of the two end catches of a bag are released or unlocked by pushing them 0 positely a art. They stay in such release or unlocked position because of the detents which engage the male catch members or tongues, as shown, and the main middle fastener can be manipulated with convenience. As soon as said middle fastener is released, the bag frame sections are pulled apart or open, which frees the tongues G from the detents and allows the slides to be returned to normal locking position by means of the springs 21. The end catches are thus in position to automatically lock upon bringing the male catch member and female catch member together.

Undoubtedly the detent which I have described can be used With catches of other detail construction, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself by the showing and description of catch herein. I intend to protect the use of my improved detent means with any catch to which itfcan be adapted.

IVhile I have shown my invention as applied to a hand-bag, I am aware that it could be applied to the hin ed sections of various other containers and intend to so claim it.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a bag catch, the combination with a male member and a female member adapted to receive said male member having a locking piece normally held in position to lock said members together, of a detent adapted to engage the male member when said locking piece is released and hold it released.

2. In a bag catch, the combination with a male member and a female member adapted to receive said male member having a locking piece normally held in position to lock said members together, of a detent upon said locking piece adapted to engage the 100 male member when sald locking piece is released.

3. In a bag catch, the combination with a male member and a female member adapted to receive said male member having a slide 105 normally held in position to lock said members together, of a detent upon said slide adapted to engage the male member when said slide is in unlocked position.

4. In a bag catch, the combination with a 110 male member and a female member adapted to receive said male member having a, slide normally held in position to lock said members together, of a leaf spring on said slide having means at its free end to engage the 115 said male member When the slide is 1n unlocked position and hold it there.

5. In a. bag catch, the combination with a male member and a female member ada ted to receive said male member having a oc 12o ing piece movable transversely of said male member and normally held in position to lock said members together, of a detent on said locking piece adapted to engage said male member when the locking piece is in 12B unlocked position, said male member adapted to release from said detent in separating the catch members.

6. In a bag catch,.the combination with a female member apertured at one side and a v136 male member or tongue adapted to enter said aperture, said male member or tongue having a transverse stop and a longitudinal shoulder and said female member having a locking piece adapted to engage said transverse stop, of a detent on said locking piece adapted to enga e said longitudinal shoulder when the ocking piece is in unlocked position.

7. In a bag catch, the combination with a female member apertured at oneside and a male member or tongue adapted to enter said aperture, said male member having a transverse stop at one edge and a longitudinal groove m its upper surface and said female member having a locking piece adapted to engage said transverse stop, of a resilient detent on said locking ieee adapted to enter said groove when the ocking piece is in unlocked position.

`8. In a bag catch, the combination with a male member and a female member adapted to receive said male member comprising a base piece and a slide on said base piece having means for engaging said male member, of a resilient detent mounted on said slide and projecting into said base piece to engage the male member when said locking piece is in unlocked position.

9. In a bag catch, the combination with a male member and a female member comprising a base slotted at its top and a ertured at its side to receive the male mem er, a slotted plate in said base adapted to engage the male member and a slide on the top of said base fixed to said locking plate through slots in the base, of a resilient detent mounted on said slide and projecting through a slot in the base and a slot in the locking plate and adapted to engage the male member when said locking plate is in unlocked position.

10. The combination with the hinged Sections of a bag frame or the like, of a catch comprising members on said sections adapted to lie in locking relation to each other when the sections are closed, a locking piece on one section normally held in position to lock said catch members together, and a detent for holding the locklng piece released and means for engaging said detent when the locking piece is released said detent and engaglng means arranged one upon each of the said sections.

11. The combination with the hinged sections of a bag frame or the like, of a catch comprising members on said sections adapted to lie in locking relation to each other when the sections are closed, a locking piece on one section normally held in position to lock saidcatch members together, a detent upon the said lockin piece, and means upon the other section or engaging said detent when the locking piece is in position to release the catch members.

GUSTAV GOERK.

Witnesses:

JAMES Honor: RUSSELL M. VERETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents, Washington, D. 0. 

